How do you feel in Spanish

Do you sometimes feel that when people ask you “how are you”, they are doing it out of common courtesy?

Sometimes, we feel that people don’t really want to know. However, when we are checking on close friends and family, or when we really care about the person, we do want to know how they’re feeling. In those cases, we ask things differently.

So, if you are learning Spanish, you may want to learn how to say “How are you feeling?” in Spanish.

Read next: 100 Must-Know Basic Spanish Words For Beginners (with Audio)

All the Ways to Say How Are You Feeling in Spanish

Below are all the ways to ask how someone is feeling in Spanish — not as a greeting, but with feeling.

¿Cómo te sientes?

The perfect go-to to check on the actual feelings of someone is to ask them ¿Cómo te sientes?

This phrase literally translates to “How are you feeling?”. You can use it to ask about a person’s health or emotions.

In any case, they will understand that you really want to know how they’re feeling and that you’re not just asking it as a formality.

¿Cómo te encuentras?

To ask someone how are you feeling in Spanish in a more formal way, you can also ask ¿Cómo te encuentras?

(Editor’s note: To an English speaker, this phrase sounds like “How do you find yourself?”, and that’s actually how I remember it!)

This expression is great for asking someone how they’re feeling in Spanish. It’s a little less intense and direct than the above “ ¿Cómo te sientes?”.

Maybe your father-in-law went through a hard time or your boss just had a baby. This expression is a cue for them to answer honestly, not as a formality.

¿Cómo estás? 

Even if you just started learning Spanish, you probably already know cómo estás.

Normally, we use it in the same way as “How are you?”: as a greeting more than an actual question.

However, just as in English, you can use your body language and tone to ask ¿cómo estás? in a way that will convey you really want to know how they are and they’ll know that you are asking about their feelings.

Read next: How to Respond to ¿Cómo estás? – 19 Replies Used by Locals

¿Te sientes mejor/peor?

If it has been a few days and you know that your friend has been going through a difficult time, you might want to check in on them you can ask ¿Te sientes mejor/peor? :

• ¿Te sientes mejor? (“Are you feeling any better?”)
• Or, a bit more pessimistic, ¿Te sientes peor? (“Are you feeling worse?”).

Both of these are direct questions about someone’s feelings — but you can use your intuition in deciding which one is more appropriate to use.

How to Answer “How Are You Feeling” in Spanish

If someone is asking you how you’re feeling in Spanish, you can answer them honestly, if you like. You don’t have to give the same candid, “Good, and you?” response, if you’re on friendly terms. Here are some ways you can respond.

• Ni bien ni mal (“Not good nor bad”)
• No muy bien (“Not so good”)
• Muy mal (“Awful”)

Conclusion

Now that you know how to ask someone how they are really feeling in Spanish, you can check in the people you care about. They will probably appreciate an honest conversation.

However, we will leave you with a warning. Don’t go asking ¿cómo te sientes? to everyone you see in the street because they might take you up on that and give you an honest answer about their feelings that might be awkward to hear!

Keep learning about how to ask people about their state and how they’re doing:

• 18 Ways to Say How Are You in Spanish
• 4 Ways to Say How Are You Feeling in Spanish
• How to Respond to ¿Cómo estás? – 19 Replies Used by Locals
• 4 Ways to say What are you doing? in Spanish